Study leads to insulin injection recommendations

(Reuters) – Many people who inject themselves with insulin to control diabetes are improperly performing this vital task, according to a large new study. Based on the results, experts have crafted recommendations for people who use insulin that touch on everything from what type of needle to use to where the shot should be administered. “Insulin injection has been assumed to be simple and require little training, but that’s not the case,” senior author Dr. Kenneth Strauss wrote to Reuters Health in an email. Insulin users “may have been injecting for years and yet have had little or no training in correct technique,” said Strauss, who is medical director in Europe of the medical technology company BD. In all 42 countries in the current study, many patients were injecting improperly, “leading to worse glucose control, poorer outcomes and higher costs,” he said. The researchers surveyed 13,289 people at 423 medical centers in 2014 and 2015. Ten% of respondents said they had never received formal injection instructions, and more than 60% said their primary care providers hadn’t reviewed instructions with them recently. Nearly 200 experts used the survey responses to help develop formal recommendations. For example, they recommend that patients use the shortest possible needles, which “are safe, effective and less painful.” A 4-millimeter (mm) needle is available on insulin “pens.” The shortest syringe need...
Source: Mass Device - Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Tags: Diabetes Source Type: news